Derek Blackthorn
High King Derek I Blackthorn of Cyrodiil was an Imperial ruler and major player in the War of the Seven. Upon a severe weakening in the strength High King Titus Vallerion, Derek and a number of other vassals rose up as claimants to the throne. The War of the Seven was the culmination of their efforts, lasting for nearly seven years. Though Derek and Titus were the only remaining claimants and Derek had an army twice as large as Titus', he lost the war's final conflict, the Battle of the Imperial City, by a wide margin. To win the throne, however, he played a critical role in the assassination the king at his own celebratory feast and married his daughter, Millona. To garner support for his cause, Derek had his council fabricate large amounts of false evidence claiming that he is the last descendant of Saint Alessia, Tamriel's first ruler. Countless followers from all across Tamriel believed this to be the truth, leading to him being known as The One True King. Upon winning the throne, however, he quickly earned a new nickname: the Usurper. Early Life Not much is known about Derek's early life or how he became landed under King Titus' regime. House Blackthorn was not a particularly prominent dynasty. It was mostly comprised of knights and gentry, very few of which held any land. Derek managed to plot his way to become the Baron of Applewatch, a small farming village in County Bruma. After serving King Titus for several years, he was awarded the County of Cheydinhal. A Claim to the Throne Derek quickly earned a reputation as a sneaky and intriguing individual. He was secretly involved in a number of plots to gain power or eliminate people who had it. After some time, he was offered the position of Royal Spymaster, which he gladly accepted. Within a few years, the king faced a significant rebellion from several vassals who demanded independence. Derek considered joining the faction, but thought it would be best to bide his time and try to win the throne. His wishes were granted after the king suffered a massive defeat at the hands of the rebels, which almost eliminated his standing army and left him incredibly exposed. Derek recognized this as his chance to lay claim to the kingdom, and quickly began plotting ways to gain support. He was initially the weakest of the six claimants, but with a bit of ingenuity he found a way to win a massive army. Derek claimed to be the last descendant of the Alessian bloodline which was long believed to be dead. He had fabricated incredibly convincing evidence supporting his legitimacy, which made many commoners join his cause and call him the One True King. He was the last to declare war on King Titus, but posed the largest threat as well. War of the Seven The opening days of the war were chaotic, with each army attempting to march on the Imperial City but encountering rival claimants along the way. Many of the pretenders ended up fighting each other and dealing significant damage to each others' numbers. Derek, however, took his time and waited, recognizing that if his enemies weakened one another, he'd be at an advantage. King Titus did the same. Eventually, King Derek's armies marched south to fight his closest rival, King Sten, who he managed to crush fairly easily. Eventually, the King of the East surrendered himself and his armies to Derek. Derek continued to gain ground, conquering all of Nibenay and occupying the north with Queen Calderna defeated. Over half of Cyrodiil was under his control. Following the murder of King Titus' daughter, he entered a rage of fury and finally unleashed his armies on his enemies. He defeated the claimants in Colovia, owning the west in addition to the Heartlands. At this point, only he and Derek remained. For nearly six months, both sides prepared for one final, massive battle. Titus knew open warfare would mean his defeat, as Derek had twice as many men. If they could lure Derek to the Imperial City, however, they would be evenly matched. Derek had little choice but to accept the bait, as Titus showed no signs of wanting to leave his city. The Battle of the Imperial City ensued, with both sides engaging one another at full strength. In many ways, Derek had the advantage as he had a fleet and an army of equal sizes to siege the city on multiple fronts. Titus, however, had the Imperial City itself, which was the toughest nut to crack on Nirn. In the middle of the night, Derek sailed north with his fleet to attack the Waterfront, while his main host marched towards the main gate. The two attacked simultaneously, and Titus struggled to hold off the hordes of Derek's men. Both the Waterfront and Talos Plaza districts were lost, and both sides were forced to fight for control of Green Emperor Way. The fighting continued all night, but by dawn Titus had won the battle, and, seemingly, the war. Derek disappeared from the fighting to rendezvous with Millona Vallerion, Titus' daughter, for his backup plan. Regardless of the outcome, Derek agreed to marry Millona. If he lost, however, the two would find a way to assassinate the king; Millona, Titus' only living heir, would inherit the kingdom of she and Derek would rule together. At the king's victory feast and re-coronation, Millona, Derek and three hired assassins interrupted the ceremony. As part of his plot, Derek promised each of the neutral vassals that if they would swear fealty to him, he would make them more powerful and be a stronger king than Titus could ever be. Many of them agreed, and some brought their personal household guards to assist Derek if chaos broke out. After declaring Titus a pretender and false king, Derek removed his hood and revealed himself, along with Millona. Titus' kingsguard engaged Derek and Millona, though the king's men were easily defeated. From there, Millona killed her father with a knife to the heart, and Derek took his crown. Category:Characters Category:Males Category:Imperials Category:High Kings